A Group Must Have a Leader
by MissScaryKitty
Summary: 1 reflects on his life as a ruler. Includes 7's exile.


A Group Must Have a Leader

A group must have a leader. I see no reason why it shouldn't have been me. I was the first to be created, I led us to safety, I gave us a life separate from the terrible world we were thrown into and most of all I knew better than the others did. Unlike them I could acknowledge that we were weak, helpless and lucky to still be alive. This was something that they couldn't, or perhaps didn't want to understand. In a way I needed to protect them from their own ignorance.

Our lives were weaved around such a delicate balance in the sanctuary I led us to, the sanctuary which we came to call our home. Under the way of life that I had crafted for us it was understood that there were things that must be forgotten, things that must be obeyed and things that must be denied. This is why I stepped up to the position I held. To keep us alive I knew I must convince them to follow me because I was the only one who knew the way. And if I could not convince them with kindness then I would convince them with fear. It was not an easy or a pleasant task making the decisions necessary to ensure our survival but I was the only one who could do it. This may seem unfair but it was truly the only way.

7 never understood this. She always felt the need to be brave and courageous. She wanted to fight them, the machines. I tried to tell her that there were all different kinds of courage in this world and that hers was the wrong kind. Still she would not listen to me. She thought I was a fool and a coward. How could she not see that I only wanted to protect us? I remember when I banished 7. I remember it like it was yesterday…

Stalking towards the calendar hanging on the wall, I grab 6's wrist and drag him along with me. All watch as I angrily yank him to stand beside me in front of the calendar. He is stuttering out something incomprehensible as I roughly take hold of his hand. I do not listen to him; I hardly care what it is that he's saying at the moment. I can hear 7 yelling at me to stop, that I was hurting him, but still I do not care. All I can feel is the rage boiling inside of me and the anger of her betrayal. Her voice grates upon my ears and just simply hearing it enrages me even more. It would have best if she kept silent. Using 6's quilled finger, I force his hand on the parchment and make a thick stroke across the 7th, blacking it out. I hear one of group gasp aloud from behind me; it was either 2 or 5 I cannot tell. As I stare at my work I say, "Get out."

Everyone knows to whom I'm directing my demand. 7 does not say a word. There is a silence amongst us unlike any that I have heard before. It is cold and hollow, as if there are miles between us that are impossible to breach. When I do not hear her footsteps retreating from the sanctuary I turn around and fix my eyes on 7. She has her hand on 4's shoulder, trying to comfort him. He doesn't want her to go and she's trying to tell him that it'll be alright. 7 then looks at me, her expression shocked and somewhat hurt. 5 reaches out to hold her hand but before his fingers can touch hers I yell,

"Get out!"

With that she gives me a final hateful glair and runs out of the sanctuary and out of our lives…

She was dead to me, dead to us all because it was my word that said it was so. After I had crossed her name off the calendar, she was gone. As time went on I believe we convinced ourselves that she was actually dead. My words became my subject's reality. This was when I truly felt the gravity of my power.

The power of a leader is hard to estimate; it seeps through the cracks of his subjects' lives like wet ink on parchment. It reaches deeper than the surface of their daily toil. I was a part of their inner workings, the master of my little puppet stage and they were all the dolls. I will admit that I enjoyed this. Secretly I took pleasure in being their leader, their puppet master. I ruled through their fear and in turn I let my fear rule me. It is strange seeing how such a thing is possible; to be feared and still be afraid.

Looking back on my life I must say I can't be certain of much. I know that they feared me, yet they disobeyed me many times as well. If they didn't want me as their leader then why did they listen to me? Aren't they as much to blame as I? Or perhaps the fault is all mine. A leader must take responsibility. A leader must sacrifice and self sacrifice alike. Take 2 for example … sacrifice. Take me for example … self sacrifice. Where did I go wrong? I followed the rules as best as I knew how.

The truth is, I only wanted to live. I only wanted to keep us safe. I only wanted to keep my life. Is that so selfish? I do not think that I asked for much. Where did I go wrong?

**A/N**: Hey everyone! This is a companion piece to 'Sacrifice' which also features the wonderful and fascinating character 1. So if you enjoyed this go read that 3333 If you've already read that then thanks and please go out and enjoy some more 1 fanfiction because he's just great. Oh yeah and pleeeeease review. Nothings more depressing than having a big 0 on your story review section.


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